Khudadov forest – In 1893, Nikolas Khudadov planted a forest on the left bank of Mtkvari River, in the northern part of Tbilisi, on a mountain slope, which was later named after him. “Khudadov forest used to be a barren place. It belonged to a wealthy widow – Nadirova.
The city government wanted to buy the land, but the price was too high. One day Nadirova fell ill. Doctor Khudadov was invited to the hospital. The woman, frightened by her condition, told him that if he saved her life, she would do whatever he asked. Niko grabbed the opportunity and convinced the patient to hand the city government all the lands at a price they were offering her. ” (A. Sigua, Marad da Marad, Tbilisi, 1983, pp. 168-171).
In 1893, the Iveria newspaper published a report: At the previous sitting the city council approved the cost for planting a forest at Kukia mount, a total of 20 plots have been selected for the purpose. These days the land will be plowed then the saplings will be planted…. Khudadov who was the first to carry out the work in our council, did a memorable job. Many viewed the cultivation of forests with suspicion. But such practice is not a novelty.
Artificial cultivation of the forest has long been practiced by mankind. “Lately, it has been carried out in many places with much success. … We just hope that the city does not stop at only twenty plots and will be ready to spend at least five hundred thousand roubles every year for the fields and city forests.” (Newspaper Iveria 1893 № 215).
During the 1905 revolution, the Khudadov Forest was a refuge for insurgents. On December 18, 1905, a clash took place between the Soviet authorities and the workers, as a result of which many were wounded and some were killed. An obelisk was erected in the woods to honor the memory of those who died in 1955. Maro Bochoridze, Bolshevik revolutionary woman, is also buried there. In the 1980s, the remains of Bolsheviks: Filipe Makharadze, Mikha Tskhakaia and Silibistro Todria were transferred from Mtatsminda to Khudadov Forest.